Fountain pen filling device



March 12, 1940. o. R. TERRY FOUNTAIN PEN FILLING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 12, 1936 E 5E :1;5131x315:1:

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fzavezz/zm? 0Zd61Z/Z- Yrry Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENTvOFFiCE FOUNTAIN PEN FILLING DEVICE Owen R. Terry, Evanston, Ill.

Original application February 12, 1936, Serial No.

63,648. Divided and this application November 16, 1938, Serial No. 240,656

6 Claims.

My invention relates generally to fountain pen filling devices, and more particularly to improvements in devices of this character which are capable of automatically filling a fountain pen. This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 63,648, filed February 12, 1936, which application is a continuation in part of applications Serial No. 531, 890, filed April 22, 1931, and Serial No. 605,845, filed April 18, 1932.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved fountain pen filling device which may be manufactured of inexpensive materials, which is simple in construction, and which will operate satisfactorily over a long period of time.

Other objects will appear from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a central vertical sectional View of the fountain pen filling device; and

Figure 2 is a'transverse sectional view thereof 1 taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The device comprises an ink reservoir in which is provided with a substantially cylindrical body l2 which has an enlarged head M tightly seated in an aperture 16 formed in the top of the reservoir 10. The body 12 has a cylindrical bore i8 in which a piston 26 is slidably mounted. The piston carries a frusto-conical soft rubber sealing member 22 which is adapted to make a sealed connection with the end of a fountain pen. This member has a plurality, of sector-shaped flaps 24 formed integrally therewith, these flaps normally lying against each other to close the opening in the bottom of the member 22. The piston has a central bore 26 which is connected by passageways 28 with a peripheral annular groove 30. A passageway 31 connects the bore 26 with the cylinder l8 beneath the piston.

A well 32 which is secured to or formed integrally with the piston body 20 is centrally located 1 I has its lower end similarly threaded in a groove 38 formed in the external surface of the piston body 20. This spring thus normally holds the piston in the position shown inFigure 1. The cylinder body l2 has one or more passageways 40 formed in the wall thereof. The upper end of the passageway 40 terminates adjacent the annular groove .30 formed in the piston when the latter is in normal upper position, and the lower end of the passageway terminates adjacent the bottom of the reservoir ID. The bottom of the cylinder body i2 is closed by a cap 42, which may closed by a gravity operated check valve 66. The

latter is preferably made of glass or similar material and is prevented from moving more than a small distance from its seat by an annular rib 48 formed on the body l2. It is also confined against lateral movement by an upwardly extending flange 58 forming part of the body 42. The interior of the reservoir atmospheric pressure by means of a vent passageway 52 formed in the head l4.

In operating the device, a fountain pen is inserted in the soft rubber seat 22 so that the end of its section makes an air-tight seal with the internal frusto-conical surface of the seal. The

nib of the pen readily swings the flaps 24 out of The spring 36 is under sufficient initial tension so that a pen may be inserted as stated without moving the piston 26. However, upon continued downward movement of the pen, the piston 20 will be moved downwardly, forcing the ink con-.

tained in the cylinder I8 outwardly through the duct M past the check valve 46. Upon freeing the pen, the spring 3 1 will contract, drawing the piston 26 upwardly, creating a partial vacuum in the lower end of the cylinder 18, which reduc- When the piston 20 reaches the upper end of 1 its stroke, as shown in Figure 1, the annular groove 30 registers with the upper end of the ink passageway 40 and as a result, ink from the container I0 is drawn into the cylinder 26 and fills the well 32 so that as the pressure within the cylinder 26 (as well as in the cylinder 18) approaches atmospheric pressure, theink may fiow into the reservoir of the fountain pen.

With pens of the rubber sac type filling mechanism, the sac may be completely filled with one stroke of the piston, but with pens having a sacless type of filling mechanism, it may be necesj sary to operate the device two or three times in order to secure substantially complete filling of the reservoir of the pen. After the pen has been filled, it may be removed from the pen seat, and it will be found that the nib and the end surfaces of the section are the only parts of the pen which have been wetted by the ink. Thus, a fountain pen may be very quickly and easily filled without I6 is maintained at the way and passes into the center of the well 32.

the usual necessity for cleaning ink from parts of the pen which have been immersed in the ink.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principle thereof. I therefore desire, by the following claims, to include within the scope of my invention all such similar and equivalent constructions whereby substantially the results of my invention may be obtained by substantially the same means.

I claim:

1. In a fountain pen filling device, the combination of a container, a cylinder projecting into said container to a point adjacent the bottom thereof, said cylinder having an inlet passageway leading from a point intermediate the ends thereof to the lower end thereof, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a closure for the end of said cylinder, said closure having an outlet passageway, a check valve normally closing the end of said outlet passageway, an apertured pen seat carried by said piston, and a tension spring having its ends connected respectively to said cylinder and to said piston.

2. In a filling device for fountain pens, the

combination of a body having a cylindrical bore therein, said body being provided with a passageway for supplying ink to the central portion of said bore, a closure for the lower end of said body, said closure being provided with an outlet port, a check valve closing said outlet port, a piston reciprocable in the bore of said body, said piston having an annular groove formed therein and having passageways connecting said groove with the well therein, a pen seat on said piston, and a tension spring secured respectively to said piston and said body and operable to raise said piston to the upper end of the bore in said body.

3. In a fountain pen filling device, the combination of a container, a body insertable in said container and having a cylindrical bore formed therein, means for conveying ink to said cylindrical bore at a point intermediate its ends, a closure for the bottom of said bore, said closure having an outlet port therein, a check valve normally closing said outlet port, a cup-like piston reciprocable in said cylindrical bore, said piston having the hollow interior portion thereof connected by a passageway with an annular groove formed in its external surface and with the portion of said cylindrical bore below the piston, and a tension spring connecting said body and said piston and arranged to be stretched upon downward movement of said piston and to draw said piston upwardly to cause a partial vacuum in the lower portion of said cylinder and in the reservoir of a pen connected to the cup portion of said piston.

4. In a fountain pen filling device, the combination of a container, a closed end cylinder projecting into said container to a point adjacent the bottom thereof, said cylinder having an inlet passageway leading from a point intermediate the ends thereof to the lower end thereof and having an outlet passageway in the closed end thereof, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a check valve normally closing the said outlet passageway, an apertured pen seat carried by said piston, and a tension spring having its ends connected respectively to said cylinder and to said piston.

5. In a filling device for fountain pens, the combination of a body having a closed end cylindrical bore therein, said body being provided with a passageway for supplying ink to the central portion of said bore, said cylinder being provided with an outlet port, a' gravity operated check valve closing said outlet port, a piston reciprocable in the bore of said body, said piston having an annular groove formed therein and having passageways connecting said groove with the well therein, a pen seat on said piston, a well in said piston, and a tension spring secured respectively to said piston and said body and operable to raise said piston to the upper end of the bore in said body.

6. In a fountain pen filling device, the combination of a container, a body insertable in said container and having a closed end cylindrical bore formed therein, means for conveying ink to said cylindrical bore at a point intermediate its ends, said body having an outlet port therein, a check valve normally closing said outlet port, a cup-like piston reciprocable in said cylindrical bore, said piston having an annular groove formed in its external surface and having the hollow interior portion thereof connected with said groove by a passageway and connected with the portion of said cylindrical bore below the piston by a second passageway, and resilient means connecting said body and said piston and arranged to be stretched upon downward movement of said piston and to draw said piston upwardly OWEN R. TERRY. 

